1. Technical Field
A pump or turbine is disclosed which comprises a housing provided with at least one chamber, a rotor, which is rotatably mounted on a shaft in the chamber, an inlet, which communicates with the chamber at least at the location of the shaft, and an outlet channel, which communicates with the chamber at least at the periphery of the rotor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a pump is known, e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 1,061,142 in the name of Nikola Tesla. Said patent describes a device by means of which energy can be supplied to a fluid, viz. a so-called Tesla pump, or be withdrawn therefrom (a turbine). An embodiment illustrated in the figures of said patent comprises a volute casing (indicated at 8 in the figures), in which a plurality of flat discs (1) are keyed to a shaft (2). When the shaft is rotated, a fluid present between the discs is drawn in axially as a result of the viscosity and the adhesion between the fluid and the discs, and accelerated tangentially and radially, i.e. along a spiral path, in a direction away from the shaft, after which the fluid exits the casing through an outlet (11).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,176 describes a Tesla pump having an outlet which, in order to improve the efficiency, comprises at least one “pitot-like flow path”, shown as two L-shaped tubes in the examples, whose cross-sectional area does not exceed about 60 percent of the area of the peripheral zone between the side walls of the pump housing and the height of said path.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,107,848 describes the use of a Tesla pump for the propulsion of a vessel.